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Lot Essay
This elegant serpentine commode illustrates the successful fusion between Western design and South Indian craftsmanship and timbers, the result of an influx of Europeans in India following the establishment of the trading companies, and a demand for Western-style furniture. The serpentine form of this commode, with its rococo frame on scrolled cabriole legs, is inspired by English furniture designs of the mid-18th century. It relates to patterns for ‘French Commode Tables’ published in Thomas Chippendale's The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director, 1754 (plates XLIII-XLIV), while his Director, 3rd ed., 1762, includes related patterns for elaborate rococo mounts amongst his 'Designs of Handles & Escutcheons for Brass-Work' (plate CC). On the present commode, the shells sculpted on the rococo ormolu handles and escutcheons echo those found on the stand. It is made of richly-figured Indian calamander; the black striations earned it the name of ‘marblewood’ and it is a rare find on such an early piece of English furniture. Although the use of calamander in cabinet-making is associated to Galle, on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), a Dutch colony from circa 1658-1948, it was also prevalent in South India, parts of which were British East India territory from the 17th century. A related three drawer commode-on-stand, formerly in the collection of the Viscounts Galway at Serlby Hall, Nottinghamshire, was sold from the Samuel Messer Collection, Christie's, London, 5 December 1991, lot 105. Another similar commode-on-stand from the O'Dwyer family, was sold anonymously, Christie's, London, 5 June 2008, lot 116. A calamander and ebonised commode with bracket feet, rather than a stand, was sold from the collection of the late Dr. Eric Till, Christie's, London, 14 June 2001, lot 25. A pair of late 18th-century calamander commodes made in Galle in Sri Lanka were exhibited at LAPADA in 2014; another sold Lyon & Turnbull, 5 March 2014, lot 245 – stylistically the examples from Galle in general relate more closely to Dutch and Portuguese furniture - the island was a Portuguese territory up until 1658.